Thanksgiving Dinner Roundup

Well, the meal is over, the kitchen's clean and my belly is bursting.  Thanksgiving was a success!  Here's our meal in review!

We began the meal with a bowl of blended carrot spice soup.  A simple soup full of fall flavours was a great way to start the meal.

Carrot Spice Soup

Then came the main course: lamb stew & turkey pie with a gluten free pie crust provided the meat portion of the meal.  Before going gluten free, I would make this pie with a puff pastry crust.  I did find a recipe, but it looks like it needs some practice.  Instead, I bought a GF pie crust mix and made the crust myself.  I'll write a review of the mix later this week.

Turkey pie, with a gluten free pie crust

 The pie is traditionally a way to use up leftover meat, but this time I made it with white meat only since I didn't cook a whole turkey.  The recipe calls for leeks, and I was able to use a few leeks from my garden and the rest from the weekly local produce delivery I receive. It's served with gravy made from the drippings during cooking and thickened with GF flour

The meat was accompanied by a variety of sides: Cranberry and Applesauce

Homemade cranberry sauce

Gluten Free Cornbread Muffins (made from Bob's Red Mill Cornbread Mix)

Cornbread Muffins

Deep Fried Stuffed Olives with Goat Cheese Filling and a GF Breadcrumb Crust.  My photo-taking ability doesn't do these babies justice.  My sister modified a recipe to make them suitable for my son, and they were delicious.  Good enough to just eat on their own with a glass of wine...

Deep Fried Olives

We also had mashed potatoes, quinoa pilaf, cauliflower and a green salad on the side.  I was too distracted by the olives to remember to take pictures of them.

For dessert, we had apple crumble, pumpkin pie and pumpkin cupcakes with a gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free whipped topping.  I'm going to write a review for this product as well in the days to come, but let's just say that EVERYONE loved it!

Whipped Topping.  YUM!!!!

Cupcakes with Pumpkin Icing

My mom made these.  She added some pumpkin puree to her icing recipe and the kids loved them.

My son, who took not one, but two cupcakes for himself

Everyone was so full, that we spent quite a bit of time just relaxing after the dishes had been cleared.

The men.  Working hard.

The weather was summer-like, so we took the kids outside and enjoyed a warm, sunny afternoon in the backyard.  Who could ask for a better way to spend a Thanksgiving Sunday? 

Just a reminder, the menu plan will be posted tomorrow instead of today due to the holiday here in Canada. 

Happy Thanksgiving! (And a Menu Plan Update)

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Canada!  Enjoy celebrating with family and friends, and give thanks for all the blessings in your life.  I'm thankful that I have a happy family, great friends and colleagues, and a safe place to call home.  I'm also thankful for all of you who read my blog, whether you check in everyday or just every now and then.  I'll try to keep posting interesting content, more recipes and great product reviews.  Send me your suggestions of places to go, products to try and books to read.

Later today I'll post a rundown of my Thanksgiving, focusing especially on all the gluten free goodies that will grace our table.  I baked the turkey pie last night, and it looks incredible!  I'll also post a recipe for my applesauce this week.

As for the weekly menu plan, I'll put that up tomorrow.  It's a long weekend in Canada, so I have an extra day to plan and cook.  Hopefully there will be some leftovers for tomorrow, but I've got a great fall soup ready for this week, and I'll be trying out some rice tortillas for the first time to make some fajitas.  The recipes will be light and healthy following a heavy Thanksgiving meal, but they'll be satisfying and flavourful too.


Finally, I'll be posting a review this week of the pie crust that I used for the turkey pie, updating my 100 in 2011 list, and adding recipes to my recipe tab.  A busy week ahead on Celiac Baby!  Don't forget to check back often!

Thanksgiving Recipe: Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is one of those hit-or-miss recipes; people either love it or hate it.  The trouble is, many people have only ever eaten cranberry sauce from a can, that jiggly, wiggly, jelly-like stuff that pops straight from the can in one large lump that needs to be broken apart with a spoon.  Yum.

Freshly made cranberry sauce is a totally different experience, and the flavours can be changed to suit your individual tastes.  Depending on my mood and what I'm serving, I'll add nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, oranges, or any number of different flavours to complement the wonderful tartness of the cranberries themselves.

I can't imagine a Thanksgiving dinner without a not too tart, not too sweet cranberry sauce to add flavour and colour to my Thanksgiving plate. The cranberries pair well with turkey, potatoes, stuffing, and any other side dish that needs a bit of a boost. So forget the can, and in a few short minutes you can make a cranberry sauce to convert even the biggest sceptic.

The photo doesn't do the sauce justice.  The colour is a deep ruby red, with a nice, thick consistency.

Here's the recipe for the cranberry sauce I'll be serving this Thanksgiving.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce (Gluten Free)

Ingredients

1 12oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1-2 clementines, peeled and pulled apart.  Throw in the rind of one clementine as well.
1 cup red wine (people are picky about this.  I use whatever I have on hand or whatever I like.  This time I used a Bordeaux because I had an open bottle on hand.)
1/2-1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar, or more to taste.  White sugar would work as well, but provides a slightly different flavour
1 tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1- Place all ingredients into a small pot and stir to mix together.  Use 1/2 cup of orange juice to start, and more later if necessary.
2- Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  Cook until cranberries burst and liquid evaporates to desired sauce consistency (my sauce took less than 30 minutes from start to finish).   Taste and adjust flavours before removing from heat.  Some people like their sauce a little sweeter than others, so add more sugar if desired.  
3- Remove from heat and let cool.  Remove the clementine rind before serving.  Can be served cold or warm.

I like my sauce thick, almost like a jam, with the cranberries almost completely dissolved into the sauce, so I let it cook right down.  This way, I can put any leftover sauce on gluten free toast or crackers for a great leftover snack. 

Updated November 2013

How to Host a (Relatively) Stress Free Thanksgiving

This Sunday I'm having Thanksgiving at my house.  I posted the menu HERE.  Well, the weekend is upon us, and like everyone, I haven't had much time to prepare in advance.  I don't want to be running around like a turkey with her head cut off (ahem), so I've got a plan in place to hopefully help me keep my sanity this weekend. With a little tweaking, hopefully this schedule could make Thanksgiving a little less stressful for you too!

Friday Night: List-mania!  I'll be making a grocery list, a to-do around the house list that includes cleaning and odd jobs, a list of items needed for the meal, and a time line for Sunday.  I'll be throwing in a few loads of laundry tonight to get it out of the way.

Saturday:  Up early.  I'm going to try to grocery shop before the crowds hit.  I've decided to go with a gluten free pie crust from a mix instead of a puff pastry crust for my turkey pie.  I did find some gluten free puff pastry recipes, but they look like they might take a few tries to get them right, and I don't want to be trying anything complicated this weekend. I'll pick up a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers for the centerpiece. 

Cleaning:  My husband and I will clean the areas of the house that aren't likely to get dirty between Saturday and Sunday.  I'll get out the plates, serving dishes, etc. needed for the meal, give them a clean and put them in the dining room for Sunday.  I'll take a few minutes to sweep the front porch and tidy up any dying flowers.

Cooking:  Since we're not doing a roast turkey, I can make the turkey pie the day before.  If you are doing a whole turkey, make sure you've given it enough time to thaw before it needs to go into the oven and then cook it the day you plan to serve it.    I plan on preparing the turkey pie, as well as the cranberry sauce and the apple crumble in advance, leaving very little for Sunday.  We have a lot of apples, so I may even make some homemade applesauce.

Clothing:  I always seem to end up frantically searching for something to wear on special occasions minutes before guests arrive, even if it's a pretty casual affair. This time, I'll lay out my son's clothes as well as my own the night before.  This includes jewelry and make-up.  

Sunday: Up early. 

Cleaning: Today I'll spend some time in the morning after breakfast cleaning areas like the family room and kitchen, that always look messy regardless of how often I clean them. Empty the dishwasher to make room for all the dishes coming later, make room in the closet for shoes and purses, and double check things like extra toilet paper in the bathrooms. 

Cooking:  I'll set the table in the morning and make the cornbread so that the oven is free in the afternoon for reheating the turkey pie and for the lamb.The salad I'll put together at the last minute.  My mom is bringing the lamb, potatoes and muffins.

Clothing: Hopefully my son will take a nap before everyone arrives.  I'll put him in his good clothes at the last minute.  Come to think of it, I'll put myself in my nice clothes at the last minute as well.  I have a knack for getting dirty at the most inopportune times. 

Then, I'll pour myself a nice cup of coffee, and take a few minutes to relax before the guests arrive.

Wish me luck!

Waiting for the Election Results

Did you vote? 

If you live in Ontario, the provincial elections were today.  It seems like we've had a lot of elections in Canada lately.  That's no excuse to not vote.  It literally took me fewer than five minutes, all told. 

And now we wait. 

This race looks to be a tight one, so who knows what might happen?

Grab a bag of gluten free chips and enjoy the election coverage!

Wordless Wednesday

Tea Time with Grandma

A quick Tuesday update

This week is a crazy one for me with three meetings, deadlines both at work and with my thesis, and prepping for Thanksgiving.  I'm looking forward to the long weekend, if only to try and catch up on everything! 

These are the days that I appreciate cooking on Sunday for the week.  I picked up my son tonight, and knew that I had a meal ready in the fridge that just had to be warmed up.  After that, I headed out for my meeting, getting home at around 8:30.  Packing my lunch was simple, since I have a few options in the fridge to choose from.  It's just one less thing I have to worry about. 

My husband gets breakfast ready for my son, and I've been relying more and more on whipping up a smoothie and bringing it with me to work.  I find it keeps me feeling full and gives me energy to get through my morning.  I need all the help I can get to keep my mornings running smoothly!

For tonight though, I'm off to finish a few things for tomorrow, and then hopefully get in some reading before bed.  Until tomorrow!

Countdown to Thanksgiving: What's on My Gluten Free Thanksgiving Menu

This year, Thanksgiving is going to be at my house.  For those of you reading this outside of Canada, our Thanksgiving falls in October, not November like the United States. 

This is the first year we'll be preparing an entirely gluten free menu for the holiday.  My dad's request was to not have the traditional oven baked turkey, so I sat down with the family and created a non-traditional menu that includes enough familiar flavours to still respect the holiday. 

On the menu:
Turkey and Leek Pie (I am looking for a gluten free puff pastry.  I've found some recipes, but I'm not sure I want to try it from scratch.  Otherwise I'll do a scalloped potato crust.)
Oven Roasted Lamb Shoulder and Root Vegetables
Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
Cranberry Sauce
Salad
Cornbread
Pumpkin Spice Muffins and Pumpkin Pie
Apple Crumble

I'll be posting some of the recipes this week and will definitely do a photo roundup of all the dishes when they're cooked.

How are you spending your Thanksgiving? 

Gluten Free Weekly Menu Plan

Sorry about the late uploading of the weekly menu plan.  Today we had plans to go out in the morning, so the cooking's getting done now.  Here's what we're having, and I'll post the photos later this evening when it's all cooked and looking pretty!

Monday: French Onion Soup with Gluten Free Bread and Goat's Cheese Mozzarella

Tuesday: Eggplant Parmesan and Gluten Free Spaghetti

Wednesday:  Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Carrots

Thursday: Portuguese Bean Soup and Quinoa Tomato and Cucumber Salad

Friday: Chicken and Bacon Casserole with Scalloped Potato Crust and Savory Quinoa Pilaf

Look who got a haircut!

Today my husband took our son to get his first professional haircut.  Usually I would just do it because he hated to sit still, but since he's been getting better lately I figured he was ready for a professional 'do.  They went to a place just for kids called Melonhead, where the chairs are actually seats from rides, to make things more fun.  My son chose a train to sit in, and was so happy to be driving the train that the haircut went off without a hitch.  He got a certificate with his name and photo attached.  Tell me he's not cute!

Before...

After!

Driving the train